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Multifamily Water Assistance Program

Multifamily Water Assistance Program for Affordable Housing

The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), in conjunction with HPD and the Housing Development Corporation (HDC), is offering a water and sewer credit for eligible HPD- or HDC-assisted affordable multifamily housing projects. Eligible projects can receive a $250 credit per residential unit on their calendar year 2020 water and sewer bill(s). Projects will be prioritized by lowest to highest collectable rent affordable to households earning no more than 60% of Area Median Income (AMI), as enrollment is limited.

The application deadline for the 2019 Multifamily Water Assistance Program has passed.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the credit, all three of the eligibility criteria must be met:

AffordabilityRent Affordability: Average collectable rents (rental buildings) or maintenance fees (cooperatives) for the project must be affordable to households earning up to 60% of AMI, using a Rent Roll, effective as of the date of application. The project can have income limits higher than 60% of AMI as long as the average collected rent is affordable to those earning up to 60% of AMI.Use Restriction: Executed and recorded regulatory agreement or equivalent document with HPD or HDC restricting 100% of the residential units and with a minimum of 15 years remaining from July 1, 2018 or the date of the contract execution, whichever is later.

Conservation
All buildings must demonstrate efficient water usage either through compliance with the Multifamily Conservation Program (MCP) or as evidenced by paying a metered water rate. Buildings that take the necessary steps to become compliant with the MCP conservation measures before the application deadline may apply. Buildings must be compliant with all applicable DEP and Water Board Regulations.

Performance
All buildings must be in good standing with the City, by demonstrating current payments, payment plans or evidence of engagement with the City to address these issues. HPD or HDC Asset Management will consider projects not current on their DEP and DOF bills on a case-by-case basis.

Projects are made up of a property or cluster of properties which are covered by the same HPD or HDC-issued regulatory agreement. Each building within an income-qualified project must meet the program eligibility rules. Buildings with less than 4 residential units may not receive the credit.

There is a limit to the number of buildings that can receive the discount, which will be prioritized by lowest to highest collectable rent affordable to households earning no more than 60% of AMI. The agencies reserve the right to prioritize high-need projects should program demand exceed the enrollment cap.

Instructions

Complete the OnlineApplication linked below for HPD- or HDC-assisted properties. If your property has a joint-HPD/HDC regulatory agreement, please submit the application for HPD-assisted properties.

If a project consists of multiple DEP accounts, complete the Online Application and the Additional DEP Account Form for each additional DEP Account. You will be prompted to the Additional DEP Account Form once you submit the Online Application.

For example, if there are five buildings in a project and each of the five buildings has a separate DEP account, you must complete one Application and four Additional DEP Account Forms. If there are five buildings in a project and two are associated with one DEP account and three are associated with another DEP account, you must complete one Application and one Additional DEP Account Form.

The Certified Rent Roll should include all of the buildings under one Regulatory Agreement, or project.